Seedlings ID
End of last summer I had a packet of annual flower seeds left and as it had rained and rained I was fed up and literally threw the seeds onto a patch of a border. There was no sign of anything for the rest of the year as it was really late in the year.
Now, for the past four weeks, there are these large and growing seedlings all along the front of the border. At least I think it must be as they are pretty much in a regular straight line. I haven't thinned them out because I haven't a clue what they are and there are no stem shoots as yet. I cannot for the life of me remember what the seed packet was.
Does anybody recognise them? Difficult when there isn't any real tell tale feature unless someone is hot on recognising foliage only. They could of course be a weed but I think they're in too regular a line to be a weed. But I'm not sure.
Any guesses? I had so many packets of seeds last year that I just can't put my finger on anything likely. A simple calendula comes to mind but maybe not. The little blue flowers in between some are the remains of aubretia. These seedlings range from abut 6" to 8" high.
Many thanks.
Posts
Blue ones are lobelia.
Seedlings look a lot like red campion. Were they wildflower seeds?
I think it pink campion as well, you dont usually get that in wild flower seeds do you? may so but probably a rogue seed head landed. I have a real battle with it here, some is ok but it wil take over.
You will soon see when it flowers.
I cant see a foxglove in there.
Thanks for the responses everybody. I've only ever had two foxgloves and had to dig them out a couple of years ago - never self-seeded either. I have lungworts elsewhere - but not with foliage like these. fidgetbones - the blue flowers you see are what remain of my aubretia from Spring which were all along this border and these seedlings completely took over and smothered them. I let them carry on as I'm curious to see what they are.
Not sure about campion as I have several pink campion in other parts of the garden which are vigorous and I didn't want any anywhere else - could be wrong, but from memory I'm thinking I wouldn't have sown any more campion seeds as I have enough plants as it is. BUT - it's always a possibility I was so fed up at the time that I might have dispersed campion.
There is the possibility it could have been a packet of wild flower seeds - and if it was it would seem that only one dominant type of flower has come up. I keep thinking calendula - but again, it's something I might not have wanted many of.
The only other thing I remember having left in seed packets was Emilia Irish Poet - but I can't remember what their seedlings looked like at this stage as I pull them out each year and can't picture what the starting foliage looked like.
It's maddening in an amusing way as I keep thinking I should absolutely know what these are. Here's a slightly different pic angle - but probably doesn't help at all. There is no smell of any kind if you crush the leaves so no clue of any kind there.
I shall just have to wait and see. If they are campion, I will laugh myself squint at so many and having to do something with them. I already have pinks and whites and was pulling them up where I had deliberately put them as they grew and spread too much.
They might be an absolute stinking nasty weed - so perhaps in a month's time there will be a pic of me looking all in and dramatically despairing trying to get rid of them all!
FIDGETBONES: I've just done web search and they DO look like blasted campion. I had thought not as my mature ones are hairy and I can't recall them before they were hairy. I think you may be absolutely right. Oh blast!